How the Higgs Boson Ruined Peter Higgs's Life

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June 30, 2022

Dear Reader, This July 4th marks the 10th anniversary of physicists' discovery of the Higgs boson, the particle (and its associated field) that imbues all others with mass. Named after Peter Higgs, who first predicted its existence in 1964, this was the last, long-sought "missing piece" in the Standard Model of particle physics—making its discovery all the more sensational, and netting Higgs a Nobel Prize as well as considerable public attention. Our lead story discusses a new biography of Higgs and his surprising reaction to the epochal discovery, which he says "ruined my life." Next, read our story about how mathematicians are trying to "hear" shapes, and coverage of CAPSTONE, a newly launched NASA-affiliated spacecraft on its way to the Moon. Enjoy, and have a wonderful Independence Day.

Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space & Physics @LeeBillings

Particle Physics How the Higgs Boson Ruined Peter Higgs's Life A new biography of the physicist and the particle he predicted reveals his disdain for the spotlight By Clara Moskowitz

Mathematics Mathematicians Are Trying to 'Hear' Shapes--And Reach Higher Dimensions An intriguing question about drums kicked off decades of inquiry By Rachel Crowell

Space Exploration NASA's Tiny CAPSTONE CubeSat Launches on Pioneering Moon Mission The spacecraft will arrive in lunar orbit in mid-November to help prepare for a future moon-orbiting outpost By Mike Wall,SPACE.com

Planetary Science Controversy Grows Over whether Mars Samples Endanger Earth Planetary scientists are eager to bring Red Planet rocks, soil and even air to Earth, but critics fear the risk of contaminating our world's biosphere  By Leonard David

Space Exploration New Maps of Milky Way Are Biggest and Best Yet The latest data release from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission is sparking a frenzy of exciting new astrophysics research By Sasha Warren

Astronomy Betelgeuse 'Great Dimming' Mystery Solved by Satellite Photobomb Images from Japan's Himawari-8 spacecraft shed light on the red supergiant star's remarkable fading By Allison Gasparini

FROM THE STORE Extraterrestrials and the Search for Life Do aliens exist? The enduring mystery of whether we're alone in the universe is a question that continues to drive scientific study into groundbreaking directions. This collection examines the latest thinking in the search for life, from discussing why we haven't found evidence of aliens so far to determining where and how to conduct the search to opening up the possibilities for what otherworldly life could truly look like.

QUOTE OF THE DAY "This discovery was a seminal moment in human culture. It's a discovery that will rank alongside the discovery of the Rutherford atom and the nucleus. It's the discovery that we are immersed in this still mysterious essence, the Higgs field, which ultimately leads to structure in the universe." Physicist Frank Close, author of a new biography of Peter Higgs, whose 1964 prediction of the "Higgs boson" was spectacularly confirmed in 2012.

FROM THE ARCHIVE Higgs Boson Gives Next-Generation Particle Its Heft Experiments at the Large Hadron Collider suggest that muons and other "second-generation particles" obtain their mass from interacting with the Higgs, further strengthening the Standard Model By Daniel Garisto | August 2020

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